Doctor asks for (regular) Medicare deductible up front.

New one to me. Went to doctor. Receptionist was announcing to all incoming patients that since it was January and all Medicare patients will owe a deductible, she was collecting the deductible up front. The doctor had just introduced this “new policy” since she had been done out her deductible collections in years past.

I said I had already been to two doctors and my deductible would be charged to my bills from them. I also said that the doctor is not allowed to make her own rules vis a vis Medicare. The doctor condescended to make an exception for me, after examining my payment record, since I had already seen two doctors, and I was refusing to pay. She also had the receptionist say that “all the doctors were doing it now”. The other three patients present were annoyed, but paid up.

By the time I was called in, long after my appointment time, I found I was so irritated that I couldn’t respond dispassionately to the technician’s questions, and I left without seeing the doctor.
I’m now on the phone with Medicare &Medicaid Services waiting to hear an opinion on this.

Has anybody encountered this?

**********************See update below** ************